New Parents

"Light the fireworks, bring out the marching band" -LL Cool J

Whether you're a veteran marching band parent or a newbie this guide will help navigate ALL things marching band! Let's face it, there's so much to learn and remember but we're all in this together. That's the great thing about band in general, you find your people and your people find you. So, let's lay out some of the necessary foundations that help a 250+ marching band run successfully. In a school with ~3000 students and growing, Band and Color Guard is your tribe and the Band Hall is your home. We know heading into a high school as large as Grand Oaks can seem so scary but being involved in Band can help ease those fears! How? We have a super fun and fantastic summer band camp where kids start building relationships and making new friends and reuniting with old friends! By the time they set foot into the Grand Oaks hallways they already have a solid friend group to minimize those first week jitters. 

Who are we? 

We're the GRAND GRIZZLY BAND, a program comprised of over 250 band and color guard students and families. Color Guard is 100% part of the band program throughout the entirety of the school year. You cannot have one without the other and who would want it any other way? Together our students run like a well-oiled machine on the field, while our many amazing and talented volunteers run things off the field. 

Why should I keep my child in band?

Band provides so many life skills that help mold our youth into positive, productive, hardworking and determined adults. Students learn how to manage their time effectively while maintaining good grades and building lifelong bonds with their peers and directors. If your child is ever in need of a ride, tutoring or just someone to talk to you can be guaranteed there will always be a band kid or parent there to help. Our students learn how to work together to reach a common goal and that's to put on a GREAT show! But, as equally important, these kids learn to be open minded and build new long lasting connections.

Colleges and grad schools look positively at 4-year high school band commitment. They want a student body that understands the value of hard work and determination.  High school band looks FANTASTIC on college resumes! Colleges see the dedication it takes to be in band, and they want determined and hardworking students to attend their colleges. Plus, band kids often get scholarships even if their major isn’t music related.  Fun GOHSBAND fact, our Booster organization offers college scholarships to multiple qualifying Seniors each year, and they don’t have to be music majors to qualify! Each year we are able to add more funds to this program to help our Seniors get a jumpstart on their college endeavors. 

What about the time commitment? 

We completely understand that the first glance of our calendar can seem daunting, but we PROMISE that it can be done successfully. Your child will quickly get acclimated with their classes, homework and other extra-curriculars. Many of our kids are in advanced classes and other activities and are able to manage just fine. 

If you're a working parent and are worried about getting your child to and from practices, there will be a band parent that is willing to help! We're all in this together and want nothing but success for all of our students. 

The volunteerism and fundraising asked of Band and Guard students is minimal, two GO Flags shifts per year totalling approximately 4-6 hours per school year.  These hours can be used by your student towards club mandated service hours or letter jacket "points."  Because the GO Flags program is now 100% run by the GOHSBBA, the Boosters will not ask students to participate in any direct sales, check writing campaigns or other fundraising efforts unless specifically organized by the students themselves.

What about band fees?

 Being a member of the Band/Guard requires a financial commitment and everyone is expected to contribute. Our Fairshare fees help run a successful program throughout the year. Fairshare fees go towards new instruments, clinicians, master classes, music, music equipment, contest costs, travel expenses, uniforms, any extra-curricular activity in or outside of CISD, and much more. Our Boosters work hard to keep these costs lower than most program Fairshare fees in the CISD district and we work with parents to make fee payments easy because we want EVERY child that wants to participate in our program to stick with it, regardless of finances. 

What are our kids saying about band?

Still unsure about the journey ahead? See what some of our students have to say about their band experience!

Where do I go for information? 

You're in the right place! Use the menus to navigate through this website and direct any questions to our Boosters at info@grandoaksband.org. Here are some helpful links to the most useful new parent pages.

OUR GOHS BAND PARENT PROMISE

You can do this!!! If you ever feel overwhelmed there will always be a veteran band parent there to walk you through this journey.  We are a team and as a team we want a positive and successful program that our kids and families are proud to be a part of!